Mark Vess, who is seeking the recall of two officials, took out an ad in The Enterprise on Saturday.

HANSON – Earlier this month, recall organizer Mark Vess said two Hanson selectmen were acting illegally when they suggested a $58 million school project could move ahead for a third vote based on a simple majority.In an advertisement printed in Saturday’s Enterprise newspaper, Vess retracted that statement, saying that he should have chosen his words more carefully.

“Since this article’s publication, I have learned that a two-thirds vote may not have been required by statute and that the selectmen’s subsequent actions are not likely illegal,” Vess wrote in the Page 3 advertisement. “I misguidedly based my opinion on my prior experience and understanding that the town had previously required a two-thirds vote for this kind of appropriation or debt exclusion for the past 30 years.”

Town officials are working now on bringing the school project before the voters a third time. It would create a combined elementary school for Hanson students, replacing Indian Head and Maquan schools. The selectmen on Tuesday night are expected to decide whether to send it to town meeting or directly to the ballot.

Despite his retraction, Vess said he stands by his effort to remove selectmen chairman James Egan and Vice Chairman Stephen Amico from office because the project would “put a financial strain on our citizens.”

“I felt that the statement made by myself that was included in the retraction was necessary to ensure protection for our household,” Vess said in an interview Saturday. “Mr. Amico has given some public indication of continued action in so far as the recall petition is concerned. I am wary of such action, although I do not believe it would be successful under any circumstances.”

Amico has said that he is working on a response to the recall, but has declined to specify its nature.

On Saturday, Amico said that he stands by his decision to support the project. Whether the school is built or not, he said, Hanson residents will need to spend money on the schools. Amico said he appreciated Vess’s retraction, but wondered why Vess moved ahead with signature certification this week.

“If he’s saying that, then why did he file the papers for the recall?” Amico said.